Texas Healthcare Worker Becomes First Person Infected With Ebola In The U.S.

A new case of Ebola has developed in Dallas among the healthcare workers that treated Thomas Eric Duncan before his passing.

Despite the use of protective gear while working with Thomas at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, USA Today reports that an unnamed nurse has tested positive for Ebola. While this is the second diagnosis in Texas, this makes her the first one to be infected with the virus inside of the U.S.

According to CNN, the woman wore a gown, gloves, mask and a shield during her “extensive contact” with Thomas.

Now the Centers for Disease Control has announced that it’s going to investigate how this could have happened. Without knowing the particulars, the agency has speculated that someone didn’t follow the hospital’s procedure on how to guard themselves from direct exposure and possible infection.

“At some point there was a breach in protocol. That breach in protocol resulted in this infection,” CDC Chief Dr. Thomas Frieden said.

“The (Ebola treatment) protocols work,” he added, “But we know that even a single lapse or breach can result in infection.”

During a discussion with Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, President Barack Obama stated that the CDC needs to carry out the “investigation into the apparent breach in infection-control protocols at the Dallas hospital move as expeditiously as possible.”

In the meantime, officials are taking every precaution to prevent Ebola from spreading any further in Dallas. The infected nurse is currently in stable condition and hazmat crews have worked to decontaminate the hospital, scrubbing down common areas twice. Texas Health Resources chief clinical officer Dan Varga also noted that someone who has “close contact” with her has been placed in isolation.